


The Norns

by Laetus_Fabricor



Category: Original Work
Genre: (Not without having a meltdown first), Any other characters will kind of give spoilers, Can't decide if thor and sam will be brotp or otp, Clothing from different eras, Cynical child, Everything was fine until Thor showed up (tm), Expect gratuitous mashup of norse and greek myths, Fantasy, Fantasy World, Gen, I do what I want, Loki is the nice guy for once, Magic, Magic holding items | stardust, People are two faced, Protagonists are somewhat selfish, Underworld, When the protagonists arent doing shit to save the world, appearance vs reality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-01 20:51:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10929816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laetus_Fabricor/pseuds/Laetus_Fabricor
Summary: Time is like a changing wind. It passes by easily and very few care which way the wind goes. The Norns are part of that few. The few that write down what has passed, what is to come and the single indescribable moment between.So when the Norns are killed, the balance shifts. With no one to record the events that have gone by and those to come, it was only a matter of time before their powers moved on to others. And the Norn killers painted targets on their backs.





	1. Anna

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! So I would like to start this off by saying that I love the theme of appearance vs reality, which is one of the main themes behind this story and the idea that some of the most beautiful things are the most deadly is what I wanted to address. 
> 
> Another was the fact that I find annoyingly common is that protagonists in stories I would often read love to save everyone. It's an issue for me and frankly I find it quite cliché. The idea that these protagonists are wholy good and constantly venerated by the authors for wanting to save the world. It's rare for me to find a protagonist that is doing the right thing not because it is the right thing, but because it either benefits them or a similar reason. This is possibly due to the fact that I'm very picky when it comes to reading something or the like but I believe my point still stands. That's why I wanted to confront this idea through the characters.
> 
> Honestly this story is mainly to work on the development of my own writing style as well as the development of how I portray characters. Aside from that I just want to have fun, y'know? This is the reason as to why I wrote a couple of these chapters already and originally I was not planning to post this until a friend suggested I should do so.
> 
> In terms of the chapters, I have no idea how many there will be overall because I'm drowning in ideas but I do have up to Chapter 9 planned out in notes. Chapter 1 is about 2000 words so as to show you how the cities are run and to introduce the aforementioned theme of appearance vs realiry. After that, the chapters are relatively short due to wanting the characters to come across as somewhat enigmatic and to, somewhat, speed up the pace (wow that's a good excuse to hide my inability to do comprehensive setting changes and time skips without them seeming rushed) and to slowly immerse you in this world I have designed. I don't know if they'll get longer over time but we'll see as I go.
> 
> I will be updating every Wednesday at about 5:30 gmt. I might be early, I might be late. To be honest it really depends for this month and June because this is my exam time and something might come up randomly.
> 
> Overall, I hope you fall in love with this story like I have. These characters have become my pride and joy.

_I write about what's real to me when all I feel is make believe,_   
_But I won't say there's nothing left._   
_There's everything, but just out of reach. - Hands like Houses._

**Chapter 1 - Anna**

The streets were full of bustling chatter. Clear skies and an early morning breeze swept through the leaves as if awakening them from slumber. Stalls lined the early morning streets as citizens giggled and snickered whilst mothers flaunted their own children like trophies. Vendors preached about their wares and customers haggled.

A pristine child sat inside a large open pipe that disappeared into a cracked wall, with her legs swinging to and fro. Both were hidden by the shadows of an alleyway as she watched all of the people stand in the ethereal summer sun, basking in their own egos as if the world only spun for them. She cocked a savage grin that contorted her doll-like face.

‘Pathetic’

Cool shadows fenced her away from their realm, one of a blind urge to please that she knew would one day crash and burn. But for now… she must slither into the blistering light… she could survive it. She had to survive it. It’s not like she could turn back and crawl through the tunnels just to get back to the Ophiuchus Thieves’ guild. She may have been his favourite thief but not even she (his lovely, little, Anna) was exempt from Matthew’s savage wrath. ‘twenty liona’ was the rule ‘or else’, and no one wished to find out what the ‘or else’ was. Matthew had controlled the guild with an iron fist for as long as she could remember. Very few had purposely angered him. None survived.

Sighing, she pushed herself off the pipe, as she thought ‘Another example of same shit, different day’. Dusting off her white dress, her feet were soundless as she slithered through the city streets. ‘Sickening, they are’ she thought, slipping by a gaggle of giggle girls, she reached into a loosely closed purse of one girl and stole five small coins. Quickly escaping, she dropped the coins into the hidden pocket of her dress, thinking “A quarter of the way there”.

It was relatively easy to ghost through the city and steal the other fifteen liona she needed. Most of the people in the city were like naive children. Always thinking the best of everyone around them. It was sickening. They treated her like an innocent child, smiling as she walked by. Unaware that she had stolen their money. Anna smirked as she entered another darkened alley. ‘They would probably still scold me like an innocent child even if they found out’ she thought. Casually walked through the darkened pathway, pulled away a tarp and climbed into the large pipe at the end of the alley. Despite what the people of Virgo City thought, there were black markets. ‘How oblivious they are to the truth’ she smiled sardonically.

Decades ago, Virgo’s city council had tried to expand their territory by building a city in a nearby mountain. Pipes were built throughout Virgo to connect the two cities. After the cave had been excavated and the foundations and metal framework had been placed to keep the mountain stable, the plans had been scrapped. Leaving a partially developed, and unfurnished city in its wake. Didn't take long for the criminal underground to pack up and move in. An entire city dedicated to crime. It wasn't surprising that the city was so aptly named Tartarus.

Nevertheless, it was the only home she had truly known. It was so familiar crawling through the old metal pipes, each one part of a large network that she had committed to memory from the time she could walk. The coins clinked against each other and various odours she couldn’t name flooded her nostril. But she was used to it. At the end of the tunnel, she nimbly climbed out. Her feet surrounded by dust and beat up pillows. An old man sat the corner, various men surrounding him as he sharpened his sword. The tree of life tattooed onto his arm with an odd amalgamation of earth stardust and coloured ink. Obviously old from the way that the main ink had faded, yet the dust still glowed. Obviating his power. It was so similar to the stylized tornado on her neck, of wind stardust and pale and dark blues. Beautiful but so dangerous.

In a world as beautifully decayed as Celestia, one that was plagued by shadows and monsters that threatened them all, five safe havens were built throughout the world. Virgo the maiden city, Leo the city of kings, Taurus the city of strength, Libra the city of scales and Gemini, the city of twins. Each built atop mountains in a futile attempt to protect a dwindling population. It was only later that stardust was found. ‘Hope from the very _stars_ ’, people called it. Miners has stumbled across it when looking for coal in the older mountains, instead they had found stones containing magic (albeit there was an explosion that went with the discovery). Rocks, and even minute dust, in the mountains were imbued with the power of the elements. Most had the dust blended with ink and tattooed onto their skin like the old man. Others had it in weapons. Eventually, the council made it illegal to have more than one type of stardust. Ever since, magic had been ingrained in the way of life. From heating, to cleaning, to gardening, to combat. Magic meant survival in Celestia.

But Anna was branded with her magic. All of Matthew’s thieves were branded with the Stardust Tornado. The light teal crystals all but fused with her skin with the ink. She was marked as his just like any of the others. She may have the power of the very winds but she would never be as free as it.

So it wasn't a surprise when her feet directed her to the guild without concious guiding. A small inconspicuous hut in the underworld city filled with not so inconspicuous people. People in wrapped in dark colours sat around the corners of the damp room. A large, frayed rug covered in dirt and grime sat in the center. Moving toward it, she lifted the rug. Eyes watched her diminutive form critically as she threw the rug away to reveal a trapdoor with a single, metal handle glowing with light from the small candles littered around the room.

Hauling the door open exposed the dusty stairs beneath. Stepping down into the narrow stairwell, she didn’t look back. As she went down, the light grew fainter with every step before a loud creak and ‘Slam’ resonated through the walls behind her as she stood in the dark for a few seconds. Continuing on, she found herself staring at another door. A simple old man covered in rags watched her movements before she came to a halt.

“What are we?” he ambiguously asked  
“We are the snakes that slither inconspicuously in the corner of others’ eyes as we are the outcasts. The sin of man that plagues their fantasy of perfection” she replied in monotone. Those words had spilt from her mouth for years now. So used to saying them that there were all but a reflex.

Anna clenched her hands tightly, until her knuckles stained white. Taking in a sharp breath, she opened the door. Before her was a sight she was so used to. The side of the world that the naive people of the Five Cities refused to acknowledge as they hoped that the Gods would have mercy and protect them from the Shade. Anna had long given up believing in the gods, neither Odin and his pantheon of New Gods or the Zeus and his beloved Old Gods held her beliefs. Not since she understood that all she would ever know in Celestia was pain and suffering and inequality. That people could only choose between two evils to survive. Lies of a fake world or the pain of being oppressed. When she was a child, she would innocently smile and say that Loki was the god she would dedicate her life to. ‘The God of Mischief’, was what most called him. Back then, even now, Anna felt it was more apt to name him ‘The God of Childhood Innocence’. A God who caused pranks like a child, disregarding what others thought. She never cared what the myths said about him. They always depicted him as a bad man, yet she always felt he was just really funny and smart.

It didn’t matter though. Those days were gone now. They weren’t what most would call the halcyon days of youth, but they were hers. Although they weren’t _that_ long ago, after all, she was only twelve; but she was a twelve year old who had seen things.

Walking through the winding tunnels, she passed cracked walls and scorched floors from accidental bursts of magic, as if they were maligned murals. It was overlain by a natural evil that drenched the atmosphere and all in the guild to feel the futility of life. yet the darkness protected them. It obscured the residents of Tartarus from view and kept those who tried to harm them away.

The people around her all but engulfed in their rags and dark colours. So contradicting to her white dress and long, pastel-coloured scarf (all stolen, of course). Matthew said her clothes needed to suit her irreproachable face. Her dark hair had been cut short and was done as a bob and it framed her face which was slowly losing its baby fat. He had always said that her face was her winning point. He had said that no one could find fault in her because she seemed so innocent. He had said that as long as she looked the way she did, she would be the best thief he had, would be even better as she grew older.

Stalking into the largest room yet, she stepped toward the gangly man sitting on his aging throne. “Hello there little Anna!” a cruel voice said above her. Matthew. Prickly thorns burst out from his jaw as a tea-coloured creature nestled on his head. A disturbed grin on his countenance. “Hello sir,” she meekly replied, shuffling toward his throne. Pulling the gold coins from her scarf she let them fall into his awaiting hand. “Twenty liona, as requested” she told him, quickly adding a ‘sir’ afterward, lest he find the lack of one to be an offence. He was the mad king of the thieves, anything was possible for him.

It was not much of a surprise when he chained one of his young thieves to a wall for something he deemed a transgression (which was most likely nothing of true importance). Laughing as she screamed in hunger, food just out of her reach. Raging like the tyrant he was when she gave up in resignation over her fate. Anna was used to such displays of depravity. Tartarus was perfect for a man such as he.

“What a good girl,” he darkly cooed. She tried to hold in the betraying flinch as his hand went outward and patted her on the head. ‘Just bear with it. Just bear with it.’ she chanted like a mantra. “Now,” he began “I have a job for you, my dear!”

Anna merely let out a quiet sigh in relief. Whenever he said that he usually wanted her to steal from a noble family. Preferably to the point that they were bleeding dry. To be frank however, that was quite fun for her. “Truly, sir?” she inquired

“Yes! You see, deep inside the Timeless forests, toward the bottom of the Virgo mountain, there is a nobleman. One of my informants told me of him. Says he takes in weary travelers and children, so it should be fairly easy for you to get in. Don't worry about the Cannis Major shade in the forest. His mansion is fortified with earth-based stardust. And everyone knows Cannis shade hate earth dust. My guy will meet you there at the edge of the property.” he explained, a gold coin slipping between his fingers.

“Orders, sir?” she inquired, as he tossed the coin in the air, before catching it in calloused hands “Ruin him.”

Not even a day passed before she was all but shoved out of the guild by a giddy king with a simple pack of food (he couldn't exactly let her die; he would lose such such a great toy if she died) and a map to the old man’s house.


	2. Miina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second Chapter! Introducing the lovely Miina!... or is it Katleya?

Chapter 2 - Miina

Small flames flickered within lanterns of vibrant colours that hung from a low ceiling. A small breeze filtered in through the cloth covered windows. Weapons sat silently on display. Daggers and swords were placed decoratively on wooden shelves along old walls with murals painted on them. Papers were stacked neatly on a large dark desk with the occasional unwanted note or manifesto discarded and moved aside. Smoke rose from an old pipe that sat beside a glowing globe with a stardust fire etched into the surface in the design of a stylistic flame.

Sitting on what could only be called a regal throne, a woman sat with a cup of wine held between one pale hand and another wrapped in bandages. Brown hair was pulled tightly back with a few clumps covering the left side of her face and bare feet tapping against a wooden floor. Brown eyes stared down at the sanguine-red liquid that could so easily be mistaken for blood. 

‘‘Drinking the blood of my enemies’, some would find that almost poetic…’ she thought to herself before taking a reserved sip and letting out a relaxed sigh and placing the cup down.

Her work was taxing but worth it. From words like that you would expect her to be a healer or the like, not an information broker. Yet… it was so easy for her to pass the information from person to person -for the right amount of course- and then watch as carnage ensued. She never gave false information. No, she was just very good at double crossing. She gave information to everyone because, as they say, ‘everything is fair game’. She told them what they wanted to know, and they did the rest. 

She couldn't be blamed for the pandemonium and devastation that followed. She was merely a bystander, maybe not a completely innocent one, but that didn't necessarily mean she was guilty (or maybe it did… either way, it wasn't like she was bothered).

She was the Queen of Black Hearts. The Lady of Tartarus. The Iron Maiden. She did as she pleased and she did her job well. Those were titles she worked for. Yet… someone was trying to undermine her. ‘Funny’ she thought to herself ‘Funny… but still very stupid.’

Lifting a parchment from her desk, she stared at the letter from dear Howle (‘the pain in the backside…Why haven't I told the council that he takes bribes?’ she grumbled internally, pausing for a moment ‘Ah yes, because he gives the best political information… he's so easy to bribe’).

Dear Katleya -or whatever your name is now ( _‘It's Miina now you overgrown lumox, do try to keep up’_ )-,

Last month you gave the Vilensos a route for their smuggling after they kept getting their stardust stolen. This is the fourth shipment they've lost. They are angry (‘ _Oh really? I wouldn't have realised.’_ ). They want you to find out what's going on with their shipments or they're coming after your head ( _‘They can join the queue’_ ).

The council is still ignoring Tartarus. As per usual, they want to bury their heads in the sand about the underworld, but that's an advantage for us. I'll try to get them to keep their focus on other things so you can do your work undeterred ( _‘Ah, one of the few thing he's actually helpful with,’_ ). 

Good luck,

Your Companion ( _‘My what?’_ )

Once more she sighed and placed the letter down. Oddly enough, Mocking Howle’s letters amused her to no end (perhaps because insulting the man himself would be detrimental to her work). However, regardless of how much she did mock or complain, Howle was an asset.- even if he did state the obvious far too much. He had done much for her. The closest thing she had to a family, like an insufferable brother that you can't help but love; not because you wanted to but because you had to.

Letting out a small laugh, she got off her chair and began rifling through the papers on her desk. Pulling out a copy of the map she had given the smugglers, she put on a black leather coat and tied her dagger holster around her waist and walked out of the shack that was her office after putting her boots on.

The dusty city of Tartarus filled her sight; a relaxed sigh left her. It was perfect in its imperfections. Her feet crunched as she walked down the unchartered streets on her way out of the city and into the Timeless forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so for more clarification, Miina is an information broker. She was inspired by the vocaloid song Game of Life (i love th jubyphonic translation). The idea that there are people who can change their names and become a whole new person intrigued me. Morever, with the hazards of her career, it is fairly reasonable of Miina to do this.
> 
> Her main contact, as you could probably guess is Howle. Her character intro is the shortest of the three protagonists, due to the fact that I want her character to stay an enigma through out the story. Too many stories have characters spilling their guts out and the like to people. By the end of the story I want readers to know very little about Miina. Hopefully I can do this well. Wish me luck!


	3. Aleksandra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And thus the third protagonist is revealed!

**Chapter 3 - Aleksandra**

Mugs crashed together. Rambunctious laughter filled the tavern. A range of indiscernible, golden fluids coated the floors as bar maids attempted to traverse the precarious area with bottles held above their heads; avoiding lingering hands in the process. Armoured men and women sat on rickety chairs, their loud conversations dancing through the air.

At the polished wooden bar, two siblings sat side by side -one man and one woman. The calm man stared into his drink, his ears blocking out his sister’s inane chatter. His shortened frock coat had singer and small tears in it; his hunched form revealing the cleaver-like daggers holstered on his back. Running a pale hand through his shoulder-length crimson hair, he sighed.

Suddenly, he was snapped out of his melancholy. A small calloused hand had dropped on his shoulder and shook him a bit. Turning to the side, he saw his sister looking up at him, looking as radiant as ever despite the mud in her hair and dried blood on her shirt and trousers. Her dark hair was a disaster in and of itself yet that didn't distract from the easy smile on her face. 

He wished to be more like her. So easily she could participate in discussions, whether she knew what was happening or not. It was so easy for her to create bonds. An unwavering kindness. “Sam,” she said “Smile! We just beat a chimera!”

He could still remember the creature, as if it were embossed in his mind. Black, spindly fur and feathers covered a lion's body, large wings protruded from its back. They were hunters, fighting shade like the chimera was their duty (the fact that the pay was good, just happened to be ‘merely a positive side benefit’ as many would say).

“Aleks, I do know this. Yet I-I don't know… something just feels wrong” he attempted to explain, to which she nodded. “It's ok Samuel. As long as we have each others, it will be fine.” she attempted to soothe. He couldn't help but be grateful; many dismissed his  _ feelings _ as paranoia, and while he couldn't help but feel that she was doing the same (regardless of the indescribable levels of kindness) but very few were willing to placate him at least.

He watched as she gave a cheeky grin, before jumping up on her bar stool. “Next round of drinks are on me!” she exclaimed to the delight of her fellow patrons. Cries of joy burst out as she sat back down. “Aleks!  **Are you insane?!** You don't have that kind of money!” Sam exclaimed. Patting him on the back leisurely, she merely replied “I know, but these guys are so drunk that I doubt they'll remember us. Besides, see that guy over there?”

Looking at where she was pointing, he saw a rugged man with woman hanging all over him like trophies. “What  _ about  _ him?”

“Well, apparently, he just came into quite a bit of money. So I'm fairly certain he'd be willing to help us out.”

“I didn't know you were a ‘dine and dasher’ Aleksandra”

“Meh,” she grunted, Gulping down her drink in one go “Unless of course you have the money?” she asked, putting up a facade of innocence before bursting out into laughter.

He couldn't help but smile as she told a nearby maid that the unnamed man would be paying for everything. Grabbing his hand, she dragged him out if the bar as if shade were on their tails, whilst the cries of joy in the bar turned into roars of rage. Out of the door they went. Down the uneven streets of Gemini city, their feet pounded against the ground. On and on they ran, like children escaping a scolding.

Their hair swayed like banners in the soft breeze of the night. She continued running on through the dark, her innocent laughter resounding until she collided into a passerby and fell to the floor. Yet, she quickly got to her feet again, brushing the dirt off her trousers. A glove-covered hand reached out to the person still on the floor. “You ok?” she asked the small woman.

“Yes, thank you,” the flustered woman answered, patting her ruffled dress down. Seeing Aleksandra's blade holstered at her hip, her face paled. She mumbled: “I'm sorry about this…”

Alek started waving her hands in a casual dismal. “Nah, it's fine,” She said “Are you ok?”

“Well…” the stranger began “I'm sorry to ask this of you but… my uncle…”

“What is it?”

“Well… he lives at the bottom of the mountain. He usually sends me letter once a week; he has hunters pass them on for us. However I haven't had one for two months… He's old,I can't help but worry.”

Aleksandra’s eyebrow furrowed in sympathy as Sam’s did the same in confusion. “How come you haven't asked any of the passing hunters?” he asked the girl

“I was on my way to put up a request of the Hunters’ board. But I haven't much money and with the chance of fighting shade being pretty low, I doubt anyone would help…” she explained

“Not all hunters do things for money,” Alek implored to her “We certainly don't.”

‘Yes _ , we do… _ ’ Sam couldn't help but think. Although in the end, he knew it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't matter that they didn't know this woman, it wouldn't matter that they would be going into an unprotected area, with shade hiding in every shadow. Aleks wanted to help her, so that is what they would do. He could only wish to have that much kindness.

Within seconds, promises, names and words of gratitude were exchanged as Aleksandra said she would do all she could to help the girl. Then the siblings were off to their ratty home in the market district that hid its illness under the guise of forced smiles. The next day, the exited the gates of the city with packs of food and a tent on their backs and a hastily drawn map in Alek’s hand. 

Unaware of the figure cloaked in black and murky green armour. Their sickly green eyes flashing in anticipation.

Before he vanished under a short wave of green smokes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I first started writing this chapter, I started doing it from 3rd person with a focus on Aleks. I redid it about 3 times but I felt that what I was trying too hard and I wasn't properly conveying what I was trying to get across.
> 
> But when I changed the focus to Sam, it became a lot easier. It was super easier for me to focus on themes and ideas behind the importance of 'main characters'. Everyone labels who is the main character, when frankly everyone is a protagonist in their own lives. Often we forget this and I wanted to address this through Sam's character.
> 
> It got to the point, however, that Sam's character forgets his own worth because he's too focused on Aleks', which is unhealthy and I wan't to focus on his growth just as I focus on Aleks' and all the others.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Loki**

A roar filled the forest.

A short grunt followed. A blade carved through the air. Then the squelching of blood. Fire flickered ominously. The scent of burnt fur.

Wiping the sweat of her brow, Aleks pulled her sword out of the creature. With a snap of her wrist, she whipped black blood off, watching it seep into the uneven soil. 

Days had passed since they left Gemini. The trek dragged on. Fake arguments and banter kept them awake until the shade came along. On the fifth day, when they were  _ so  _ close to the old man’s house, they saw the silhouettes of two shade in the distance. After they hid their tent and packs under leaves and broken off branches, they split up to take on the shade individually. Divide and conquer.

Sighing, she went to sheath her weapon. Suddenly, she felt the cold of a metal blade bleed through her tunic and into her back sending a shudder up her spine. “Drop the sword.” a feminine voice ordered. Doing as told, she raised her hands in surrender. “Um… if this is about the dive and dash at the hunters’ guild bar-” she began.

Her attacker scoffed from behind her. “No. And while I would love to know all about this dine and dash, I am far more interested in the missing cargo which belongs to the Vilensos crew,” she explained.

Cold sweat began to cover her skin. ‘Where the hell is Sam?!’ she cried internally. Her hands were in the air in surrender. Her breaths began to become uneven as the silence began to strengthen with her fear.

“Oh?” the woman began out of nowhere “Seems you weren't my thief at all. Hello little one.” Aleks flinched as a small girl rolled out of the growth before a high speed flame hit its target.

Miina couldn't help but laugh once she saw the stardust tornado on the child’s neck. ‘A hunter, a thief and an information broker stand in a clearing,’ she thought ‘Sounds like the start of a really bad joke.’ Staring at the petite form of the child, she pointed her flame covered hand at her, the bandages around her arm burning away to reveal a sleeve of stardust tattoos. All four dust types etched into her skin with ink. Whilst she kept her dagger against the hunter. “I never thought I would see the day when Matthew decided to go after the Vilensos let alone me,” she said calmly.

“Look,  _ honestly _ , he isn't. No one is stupid enough to go after the Red Queen of Tartarus,” the child said cynically noticing the tattoos on her now exposed hand. “So what were you doing here, child?”

“The  _ king  _ got some information about an old man who lives around here, told me to rob him blind,” she explained, not hiding a word from the Queen (Anna had heard stories of people who had done so; she had heard just as many stories of those people ending up in ditches, dead). “What?” Aleks mumbled before her voice climbed in volume “That's just low! Who'd steal from-” she immediately ceased when the blade pressed deeper into her spine. “You will speak when spoken to,” the Queen hissed as the child glared “Why are  _ you _ here, then?”

Suddenly, before Alek could say a word, a knife sliced through the air, barely missing the Queen’s head. Jumping back, Miina saw a red haired male in a loose stance, his arm extended. Alek took the opportunity to grab her sword and roll out of the way. “Apologies but I have an obligation to ensure my sister's continued existence,” he told her.

“Thanks for the save, Sam!” the female hunter said, finally getting a good look at the woman who had been threatening her. Her title seemed to be aptly; an air that would only be found on royalty surrounded her. Slowly, the wind began to pick up and she watched as blur crescents began to gather around the child’s forearms and hands. Water and fire surrounded the hands of the Queen; Sam raised his knife defensively and Alek raised her sword threateningly.

A four way battle royale; not something any of them had expected when they had left Gemini. It only got weirder as a green mist began to filter through the trees and they coagulated in the center of their large circle. Soon a young man was formed from the mist and the end of his long leather coat shedded wisps. His body encased in black leather armour held together by golden buckles and a dark green tunic peaked out from under it. “Apologies for interrupting your little  _ head to head _ …” he began, his smooth voice reverberating around them, then yelled “ **But you're all being hunted** !”

At that point, all magic were paused and bodies froze. “Ah,” he sighed blissfully “That wasn't so hard was it? Now for the sake of ease: everyone, this is Anna, Aleks, Samuel and Elizabeth… or is it something else?”

“It is  _ currently  _ Miina. But who knows what tomorrow will bring… who are  _ you _ ?”

“My name is Loki. And you made it very difficult for me to protect you.”

**Author's Note:**

> To reiterate this should be posted on Wednesday afternoons, unless otherwise said in the previous chapter, spontanious obligations come about or I honestly just can't update for a random reason


End file.
